Secret Santa Gratsu
by Rhov
Summary: In a Secret Santa gift exchange, Natsu buys Gray the cheapest, smelliest blanket he can find, hoping the ice mage will hate it. Instead, the blanket magically enhances Gray's smell, and it starts to drive the Dragon Slayer crazy. It's all fun and games until someone gets a claiming bite on the neck.


_A/N: I'm participating in Gratsu-week's "Secret Santa" gift exchange on Tumblr. This fanfic goes out to Hanlovespasta. Happy holidays!  
_

* * *

**Secret Santa Gratsu**

a _Fairy Tail_ fanfic

by Rhov

Natsu hated winter. It was cold and wet and dark and cold and miserable and windy and snowy and _cold! _Just cold! The only good thing about winter was good food and the guild's Christmas gift exchange. This year, Mira decided to make the exchange a "Secret Santa" type. Each person in the guild drew a name. They had to buy a present for that person without asking the individual what they actually wanted.

Natsu really hoped he would get Happy (easy: fish) or Erza (buy her a cake and she loved you) or maybe even Lucy since she would be happy with journals or pens. The last time the guild did a Secret Santa gift exchange, Natsu pulled Makarov's name. He got the old man adult diapers and got a giant-sized fist to the head in return.

Natsu watched the rest of his team pick their recipients. Erza pulled a card with a name on it, nodded in understanding, and silently walked away. Gray reached in and pulled out a name, made a sore face, went "Che!" and then stalked off. Then Lucy picked a card, read the name on it, giggled happily, and practically skipped out the door to go shopping.

"Go on, Happy," Natsu encouraged. "You're a member of Fairy Tail, too."

Happy reached in, and his blue face went pale when he read what name the card held. He looked up at Mira, and she smiled happily in a way that told him _No Returns_. In dejection, Happy flew off.

Finally, it was Natsu's turn. He rolled up his sleeve and dug down deep into the box full of names. Not many were left now, but he just _knew_ he could get an easy one. When he pulled a card up and read the name, he could hardly believe his bad luck. Gray Fullbuster!

"What?" he bellowed. "Mira, please, another name. _Any_ other name."

She shook her head. "You're now magically bound to buy a gift for that person and not say who it is."

"But I don't want to buy a present for—" His brain said to talk, yet his mouth hung open without moving, and no words came out.

Mira tittered slyly. "You can't say who it is."

"But he's a—" _Striping pervert._ It did not come out of his mouth.

"No hints, either," she told him.

"This _sucks_!" he yelled, and Natsu stormed out spouting flames as he tried to say every foul name he had ever called Gray, yet no sound came out.

Lisanna stood by her older sister and watched him go. "Well, it's rather obvious who his recipient is just by that kind of reaction."

Mira just smiled slyly and giggled.

* * *

Out in the snow, Natsu finally cooled down. All he had to do was buy some cheap gift and give it to Gray. He could go with the ugliest or cheapest thing he could find. So Natsu turned into a random shop and began to look around. It was a bed-and-bath store stocked with towels, blankets, linens, and bath rugs. He went straight to the discount bin. Something cheap, the absolute cheapest he could find! These were blankets from last year, apparently, and the owner was desperate to get rid of them.

He grabbed one at random. It was red. Natsu liked red. It felt warm and soft. Gray was such a freezing cold popsicle, he probably needed a warm blanket at night. Plus it had a smell to it—not bad, Natsu actually really liked the smell, but he supposed that was why this blanket was eighty percent off.

He paid for it and went over to Lucy's house. Natsu had nothing like wrapping paper, and he guessed she would. Sure enough, when he jumped through her window—and scared her half to death—she was busy wrapping a book.

"I need to wrap this," he said, holding out the thick blanket.

"Wow!" Lucy exclaimed. "That's a really nice gift."

"No it's not," he insisted. "It was cheap, and that—" Again, the words seemed to magically vanish. "—doesn't deserve anything nice."

Lucy shrugged, but she recognized the brand of the blanket. It really was nice, although the smell seemed a little off. As she held it in her hands, she could not figure out what the smell was. It was familiar, though. She shrugged and thought about how to help Natsu.

"Well, a blanket of that size, you probably want it in a box. I might have one." She looked through the boxes she had kept around after she moved into her little house. Finally, she pulled out a large box that fit perfectly. Natsu just crammed the blanket in, but Lucy took it and folded the blanket neatly. Then she showed Natsu how to put on the wrapping paper. Maybe it was a little crooked, but the box with red and green stripped wrapping looked amazing to Natsu.

A little too nice! It looked like he went all out. Just as he was about to complain that this was too much, Lucy put a massive bow on the top.

"No way!" Natsu yelled.

"It looks cute," she insisted.

"I don't want to give something _cute_ to that—" He tried to insult Gray, but the words stopped again due to the enchantment.

"Nu-uh," Lucy scolded. "You can't tell me who it is."

Natsu growled, grabbed the gift, and carried it back to Fairy Tail. Gildarts was still setting up a massive tree. Mira grinned happily when she saw Natsu bringing in the wrapped box.

"Is that for the Secret Santa gift exchange?" she asked.

"Y-yeah," he muttered. He saw a few other gifts had arrived, most of them small. In comparison, the box looked way too big.

"You only had to get something simple," she said.

"It was cheap!" he insisted in an annoyed shout.

"Well, it goes under the tree. The name of the recipient will appear on Christmas Day."

Natsu huffed in annoyance and stormed away. As he walked through town, he saw Gray out shopping. He was searching through some clothing stores, really comparing different items with a serious face. Natsu wondered who he had, and what sort of thing he would buy. He would have gone up and asked, yet just as he could not say Gray's name, the ice mage would likely be unable to give even a hint. So Natsu turned and left back home. He would have to wait until Christmas.

* * *

A few days later, it was time to exchange gifts. The guild hall was decked with garlands, bright bows, and the tree glittered with magical light and glowing ornaments. Suddenly, all those bags and boxes under the tree lit up, and names appeared on them. Mira began to call out names and hold up packages.

"This one is for Elfman, from Erza," she said.

Her brother came forward, worried what it might be. Inside was a tactical knife that could hook onto his belt and be used in fights. "Manly!" Elfman declared, grinning to the Titania, who nodded in gladness that he approved.

"Levy! Your gift is from Lucy."

Levy squealed as she came forward. Inside the gift bag was a book. "It's the new one I've been wanting. Lu-chan, you're the greatest!" she shouted, hugging Lucy happily.

Mira took the next gift. "Oh, this one is for you, Lucy. It's from … Gajeel!"

"Lucky," Levy mumbled, but Lucy was not too sure if it was luck. She took the gift, opened it, and saw pompoms inside.

The Iron Dragon Slayer grinned. "Now you can dress in that cheerleader cosplay outfit again, gihihi!"

"Um … thanks?" Lucy chuckled with a nervous grin, just thankful it was not part of that dreaded bunny outfit.

Mira pulled up a small package. "Master, this one is yours."

Makarov looked like a child as he trotted forward. "What'd I get? What'd I get?" Inside the small box was a knitted hat with kitty ears.

"It's from Happy," Mira told him. Her hands folded together delightfully. "I think it's cute!"

Happy pouted and twisted his toe into the ground. "At least it wasn't a fish. Erza said absolutely don't buy a fish, so I didn't know what else to get."

Makarov patted Happy's head. "It's a good hat." To show him, Makarov took off the silly red and green cap he wore and put on the kitty hat.

"Okay, next one up … oh! It's for you, Natsu."

"Me?" he cried out, racing forward. "Gimme!"

"It's from…"

Natsu snatched up the present and ripped the packaging apart. Inside was pajamas. "Whoa!" he whispered. "I was just telling the gang that I really needed some, too. Wow, this is pretty awesome. The fabric feels smooth. Is this silk?"

"Yeah, so what if it is?"

Natsu jolted at Gray's voice. Then when he looked at the package he had so hastily torn up, he saw the words lit up with magic:

**_To Natsu  
From Gray_**

Natsu's mouth dropped, and he looked over to the ice mage. Gray's face was turned, and maybe it was the lighting, but it looked like there was a blush to his cheeks. Natsu had seen Gray out shopping, looking around as if trying to find the perfect gift. This was it!

And … it really was awesome. It was something he needed, it was his favorite color, it felt soft and silky. It was perfect!

Natsu tried to get through the crowd gathered around and still eager for their gifts. He wanted to thank Gray, but not where everyone could hear. That was embarrassing. Gray glanced at him as Natsu made his way, and he had a surly expression. Just as Natsu approached him, they both heard:

"And the _big_ box is for Gray!"

Natsu stopped in his tracks and cringed. Why did Mira have to emphasize that his present was so bulky? It was just a stupid, smelly blanket! Now he felt bad about it, too.

Gray shouldered past him and up to the tree. He lifted the box, read the name, and instantly his eyes shot over to the Fire Dragon Slayer.

"It's from Natsu!" Mira said happily.

There was a collective "Uh-oh" from the guild.

"Does it explode?" Bisca asked, drawing tiny Asuka away for safety's sake.

Gray shook the box. "It's big, but it's light. If this is an empty box, I'm pounding your face," he glared.

Natsu folded his arms. "I'm not that much of a jerk, even to you."

Gray unwrapped it and opened the box. His eyes blinked in surprise as he cautiously pulled the blanket out. "Is the blanket hiding something that bites?" he asked.

"Idiot!" Natsu stomped up and yanked the whole blanket out. "It's a plain, normal, cheap blanket."

There were mutters in the crowd.

"That brand isn't cheap."

"I saw those in the store last year. I really wanted to get one."

"I wonder if they work how people say they do."

"What?" Natsu shouted at them. "It's just a blanket."

Gray shoved it back into the box. "Um … thanks," he muttered.

"Is it okay?" he asked uncertainly.

"It's fine. Thank you." He sounded stiff, and Gray pulled away with his box.

As he walked by, Natsu smelled something strange. The blanket had a weird smell to it, but this was different. It was … incredible! He shook his head and ignored the scent.

The rest of the party went along merrily, there was food, drinking, brawling, until everyone collapsed in happy exhaustion.

Mira and Lucy went around tucking blankets around everyone so they would not catch colds. Usually they did not even bother covering Natsu, who was naturally very hot, or Gray, who kicked any covers off of himself instantly. However, Mira had a sly smile.

"Let's put Gray's blanket around him," she told Lucy.

"Oh, that's right, the smelly blanket. Will he not like that, though?"

Mira tittered as the two girls tiptoed to where the presents had been stashed away so nothing would get broken in the fight. "You don't know what that blanket is, do you?"

"I recognize the brand. It's high quality!"

"That blanket was all the rage last year. Each one comes with a plain but not unpleasant scent that seems perfectly normal at first. However, when a person is wrapped up in the blanket, the scent enhances their natural smell. It was supposed to make couples fall deeper in love. That was what they advertised, at least. However, some people smelled worse to their loved ones. It was a magic blanket based on the theory that we are attracted by scent, but apparently that was wrong."

"Wow," Lucy whispered. She took the blanket and wrapped it around herself. "How do I smell?"

Mira sniffed. "Like strawberries and … um … mothballs?"

"Mothballs!" she shouted.

"Like I said, it enhances the smell. You must have pulled your Christmas dress out of storage recently."

"But I washed it," she sighed, taking off the blanket. "Do I really still smell?"

Mira sniffed her normally. "I only smell the strawberry scent. It works very strangely, from what I've heard. That's why they don't make them anymore. Instead of being romantic, the blankets often caused arguments, and odors were too strong for couples to fall asleep."

"Something like this must drive Natsu, Gajeel, Laxus, and Wendy crazy. Their noses are already so sensitive."

"Yes, it makes me surprised that Natsu would buy this, especially for Gray."

Lucy glanced back to where her pyromaniac teammate had collapsed. "He said it was in a bargain bin."

"Well, like I said, no one wanted to buy them after people began complaining that their loved ones stank. People were afraid to know if they smelled bad, too."

Lucy draped it over Gray. "Whoa," she whispered.

Mira leaned over, but she smelled it instantly. "Like a forest and … um … I can't quite place it."

"A fireplace?" she wondered. "I wonder if Gray's been smoking again. He said he quit. But there's something else to his scent." Lucy sniffed a bit, but she could not figure it out.

"He smells … rather good," Mira admitted with a blush.

"He really does," Lucy confessed. "Um … maybe we should leave him."

Mira had a wickedly devious smile. "Don't tell me you're tempted to snuggle him, like the advertisements say."

"N-No!" she shouted, blushing brightly. "If I did, Juvia might strangle me." She walked off, and Mira followed, until finally everyone was covered. Then Lucy went home, and Mira went to sleep in the infirmary in case she was needed in the middle of the night.

* * *

It was long after midnight. The guild was filled with snoring and mutters. Amidst this, Natsu finally stirred. He rubbed his neck, having fallen asleep after getting hit by a zap from Laxus. He wasn't knocked out, of course not! He just _fell asleep_.

Natsu got up and stumbled over Elfman's outstretched arm, almost falling into Max's broom … which once again somehow ended up rammed up his rear. Natsu shuddered as he wondered how Max always ended up that way. Then again, he really didn't want to know!

Natsu went to the bathroom to relieve himself, then returned to the main room and sleepily looked around. His clothes were uncomfortable to sleep in. He suddenly remembered that he now had pajamas. He figured everyone was asleep, so he stripped right there and pulled on the silky night pants and shirt. They really felt nice. He could get spoiled wearing something like this.

Dressed more comfortably for the night, he searched around, figuring there had to be a more comfortable place to sleep. Mages were crashed out all around. Beer had spilled, food was splattered around, and broken bits of dishes and furniture laid scattered. It truly was a mess.

Then he smelled something. It was an amazing smell, the same as earlier. The smell relaxed him, like how Igneel always had, but it was different. Natsu smiled at the aroma and followed it with his nose. This was the smell of campfires, pine trees, and Christmas. Sure, the whole room smelled like Christmas, but somehow this smell was stronger.

His nose led him to Gray. Natsu stared down in confusion, but when he inhaled, there was no doubt about it. Gray smelled … _incredible!_ The smell was strong yet inviting. It was like spending winter by the fireplace, and he instantly felt like cuddling.

Natsu shrugged. What the hell! At least it wasn't near Max and the dubiously placed broom, or near Laxus or Gajeel. He settled down, bunched the ends of his scarf under his head without taking it off, and that was enough for a pillow. He meant to sleep facing away from Gray, but the smell was intoxicating. Before he knew it, he rolled over. His nose twitched as he kept inhaling. His head kept moving closer and closer, inching his way over. The smell blanked out anything else. Natsu felt lost drifting on that scent.

Gray roused from his sleep. He heard shifting clothes and snuffling like a dog. Warmth seeped through his blanket. Wait, when did he get a blanket? As he felt the soft fabric, he realized this was the blanket Natsu just got for him. He glanced behind his shoulder to see the Dragon Slayer with his eyes closed.

Gray smiled lightly. He remembered hearing about these blankets. Juvia bought one, but she smelled like dust and swamp water. It was hardly appealing to Gray. So he was shocked that Natsu, whose nose was already sensitive, had bought him something like this.

Softly, Natsu hummed, and Gray guessed he was already asleep. Natsu was spooned so closely against him, Gray could feel the hot air on the back of his neck. The warmth blowing gently against his skin and ruffling his hair sent shivers through Gray's body. He might have complained and woke Natsu up, but for some reason, he wanted to stay like this. Just as one of the best things about summer was cooling off, one of the best parts about winter was warming up. Natsu was far warmer than any blanket.

"Smells good," Natsu murmured.

Gray blushed at hearing that. Juvia had smelled awful. When she got mad, she made Gray try to wear the blanket, but then declared that he smelled like men's sweat and burning pine. She had pulled away in anger and immediately took the blanket back to the store for a refund.

Hearing Natsu whisper that he smelled good was awkward, but at least it was nice to know that he did not totally reek. If a Dragon Slayer, with their enhanced smell, thought he had a nice aroma…

Suddenly, an arm flopped around Gray. He jolted, but then Natsu yanked himself up closer around Gray. The ice mage tensed up as he felt Natsu's nose nuzzle right at the base of his scalp.

"Good … smell," Natsu whispered somnolently.

Gray shivered as hot air caressed his skin and those arms squeezed him. He laid there still, flustered and confused what to do. If Natsu kept this up, then as a man, he would have a really serious problem on his hands.

Natsu moaned a hum, and Gray felt the burning arm pulling his body closer. He gulped and began to figure out what he should say. This was too much! Natsu had to be stopped.

"Hey," he whispered. "Hey, wake up, idiot." He was afraid to wake up the others. If they saw him and Natsu spooning like this, there would be no end to the teasing. Gray began to struggle to get out of the vise-like hold. "Flame-brain, let me go already."

"Dun wanna," Natsu mumbled.

Gray flopped back down. Seriously, what was he supposed to do? If he made too much noise, others would see. If he stayed there, maybe Natsu would roll away.

Or not …

Natsu groaned in his sleep, then Gray felt something wet on the back of his neck. His face instantly went crimson. Did Natsu just … _lick_ him?

"Hey!" he said a little louder, but now his heart was pounding.

"Nice…" Natsu hummed, nuzzling Gray's hair and cuddling stiflingly close.

Gray again felt hot wetness lick up his neck, sending shivers through him, and then suddenly pain. This time, he yanked away.

"Bastard!" He didn't care if the whole guild heard. This idiot just _bit him_.

Natsu looked up sleepily. "Huh?" He saw Gray sitting up and holding the back of his neck. "You get a kink in your neck?"

"You're the one with a kink," Gray hissed in outrage, barely keeping his voice down.

"What? What about me?"

"You … you … _bit_ me!"

Natsu's eyes widened. "I did what?"

"You were sniffing me, which is gross enough, but then you curled into me, began to lick my neck, and then you bit me, you bastard."

Natsu's cheeks turned crimson. "I … I did that? Oh sheesh, I'm so sorry, Gray. I'll take responsibility."

Gray blinked his eyes. "Wait, what?"

"I marked you. You're my mate. But don't worry, I'll take responsibility for it, really."

"What the hell?" Gray yelled.

"Shhhh, we're sleeping," someone moaned.

Gray forced his voice back down. "Just because you bit me a little, you don't have to take it that far."

"Of course I do," Natsu said in a matter-of-fact tone. "That's what you do when you mark your mate."

"I … am not … your _mate_!"

"But your smell." Natsu scooted up close to him. "Your smell," he whispered in a trance. "It's so good. Too good. There's only one reason your smell would make me want to bite you, and that's if you're my destined mate."

"No way!" Gray growled, blushing at hearing something like that.

"Yep." Natsu pounced and pressed Gray flat against the floor. Those narrow eyes seemed to glow in the darkness with predatory hunger. "You're mine, marked and bitten." He leaned down slowly. "My mate."

Although Gray struggled in a panic, Natsu snatched up his mouth, kissing, nipping, sucking at those cold lips. Slowly, Gray felt his body sinking into bliss. It actually wasn't that bad! Gradually, he began to kiss back. Natsu was an incredible kisser. Those lips were burning and soft. Their tongues met, swirled, and dipped into one another's mouths. Gray moaned quietly as hot saliva dripped down into his mouth, the taste of Natsu's tongue plunged into him, and the Dragon Slayer's scent became more intense as Natsu slid under the blanket.

Natsu pulled back with a wet string thinning out between them, and he gazed down heatedly at Gray. "What do you think of my smell?"

It was growing, the scent of ash, musk, cinnamon, and summer grass. "It's … not bad." It smelled amazing! "Does that mean something, me liking your scent? Is that … um … destiny?" he whispered with a shiver.

Natsu gazed down in amazement, then suddenly dropped his head onto Gray's bare chest. He chuckled softly and shook his head. "Sorry." He raised his head up again with an awkward smile. "I lied."

Gray jolted at that. "Huh?"

"About the destined mate thing. I always wanted to tell someone that."

Gray's eyes narrowed. "You jerk!" He shoved Natsu off, they began to wrestle noisily, until finally Gray pinned the shorter teen down with the blanket wrapped around them like a burrito. Gray glared down at Natsu, feeling angry and hurt for some reason. "If that's a lie, then why the hell did you kiss me?"

Natsu shrugged. "You smell good, so I was wondering if you tasted good. The taste on my tongue was nice. That was your neck, huh?"

Gray blushed and grabbed where his neck was still damp.

Natsu had a playful grin. "You taste really good, Gray."

"Shut up!"

"It doesn't explain why you kissed me back, you know," Natsu pointed out. "I thought you'd punch me just for trying. I didn't think you'd actually let me kiss you, let alone kiss back." Natsu nervously scratched his hair. "I haven't kissed someone like that in ages. I hope it wasn't terrible."

Gray's mouth dropped at the adorable bashfulness. Natsu's kiss had been amazing, Gray really wanted more, but like _hell_ he'd admit that! "I just didn't want to wake everyone by making you sob like a baby," he said in excuse.

"Oh," Natsu muttered in dejection. "So that's it?"

"Y-yeah."

"You know, you smell really nervous."

"Shut up."

Natsu inhaled again. "You also smell aroused. Could it be that you actually liked it?"

"Sh-shut up!" Damn that Dragon Slayer's nose!

"I like these pajamas in the gift exchange, but…" Natsu leaned up into Gray's face. "I like _this_ gift exchange better."

He kissed Gray again, and this time cold fingers threaded through his pink hair. Natsu let out a soft hum as Gray kissed him back. Slowly, Natsu leaned back down, and Gray followed him, keeping their lips locked. Gingerly, Natsu slid his tongue out again, and this time it was sucked right into Gray's eager mouth. It took Natsu by surprise. Gray's taste really was incredible, like liquid Christmas, and the smell was making Natsu sleepy. When Gray raised up again, both were flushed and looked stunned by this sudden turn of events.

"Do you hate it?" Natsu asked in apprehension.

"Not really," Gray awkwardly admitted.

"Good. I really don't even get it," Natsu admitted sheepishly, and his eyes went hazy as he gazed up at Gray. "Your smell just makes me want it. Want you. I don't get it. But I don't hate it either."

Gray glanced down at the Dragon Slayer lying under him. "It's still strange."

"Totally," Natsu laughed. "I mean, it's _you!_"

Gray glared at him. "What the hell does that mean, you flame-brained bastard?"

"It means I never thought you would be the one."

"_The one_, what?" he snapped.

"Who I'd cuddle on Christmas."

Suddenly, both looked aside timidly with flushed cheeks as they realized what he just said.

"Um, you wanna cuddle some more?" Gray mumbled. "Just that much isn't too weird."

Natsu grinned and nodded happily. Gray climbed off, rolled over, and Natsu curled around his back with the blanket wrapping the two of them up in a world of pleasant scents.

By the infirmary room door, Mira spied out and carefully held back a laugh, knowing Natsu's ears were keen. She was glad that this year she magically enchanted the gift exchange to make sure Natsu and Gray got one another's names. She had hoped it might lead to something good. As she watched Natsu nuzzling the back of Gray's neck again, she could hardly believe just how good it turned out!


End file.
